Step by step guide to automating survey responses in SurveyMonkey using integrations

So, you want to automate survey responses in SurveyMonkey? Maybe you’re testing workflows, demoing reporting dashboards, or just tired of copy-pasting test data. This guide is for folks who want practical, no-nonsense ways to fill out surveys automatically—without spending days writing custom code or getting lost in vague “integration” promises.

Whether you’re QA, ops, or just someone trying to save time, here’s how to actually get this done using integrations. We’ll call out what works, what doesn’t, and what’s more trouble than it’s worth.

Why Automate Survey Responses Anyway?

Let’s be real: most people aren’t automating surveys to cheat their own results. Usually, it’s about:

Testing: Filling forms repeatedly to stress-test logic, skip patterns, or reporting.
Demoing: Filling dashboards with realistic-looking data.
Internal processes: Triggering workflows off a “submitted” response (think: onboarding, support, etc).

Manual entry isn’t just boring—it’s prone to mistakes. Automation makes things faster, more consistent, and a lot less painful.

What You’ll Need Upfront

Before you get started, make sure you have:

A SurveyMonkey account with a survey you want to automate.
Access to integrations or API features (usually requires a paid SurveyMonkey plan).
A tool for automation—could be Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), or your own scripts.
Some test time. You’ll need to tweak things and check your results.

If you’re hoping for a “click one button, done” solution—sorry, that’s not happening. But you can get this working with a bit of setup.

Step 1: Decide How You Want to Automate

There are a few ways to automate SurveyMonkey responses. Here’s what actually works (and what to skip):

1. Use No-Code Integration Tools (Zapier, Make, etc.)

Good for most people.
Pros: No coding, lots of built-in connectors, easy to get started.
Cons: Can get pricey, sometimes limited by platform quirks, not great for massive volumes.

2. Use the SurveyMonkey API

Best for developers or complex needs.
Pros: Full control, works at scale.
Cons: Requires coding, need to respect API rate limits, can be fiddly to set up.

3. Browser Automation (Selenium, Playwright, etc.)

Last resort.
Pros: Fills out the survey exactly like a user would.
Cons: Brittle (breaks when the survey changes), slow, easy to get flagged as spam.

Pro tip: If you’re just testing or filling a few surveys, use Zapier or Make. If you need to simulate thousands of users, or want total control, roll up your sleeves and use the API.

Step 2: Set Up Your SurveyMonkey Survey

Make sure your survey is published and can accept responses.
Use simple question types (multiple choice, text, etc.)—these play nicest with integrations.
Avoid complex logic or custom validations unless you’re ready to debug.

Things to watch out for: - Required questions: Your automation needs to answer everything that’s mandatory. - CAPTCHA or anti-bot settings: Turn these off for testing, or you’ll have a bad time.

Step 3: Choose and Connect Your Automation Tool

Let’s walk through two main paths: No-Code Tools and the API.

A. Automating with No-Code Tools (Zapier Example)

1. Prep Your Accounts

Log in to both SurveyMonkey and your automation tool (e.g., Zapier).
Make sure your SurveyMonkey account has API access (this usually means a paid plan).

2. Create a Zap (Zapier’s Automation)

Trigger: You’ll want to create survey responses, not just react to them. SurveyMonkey’s direct Zapier integration doesn’t natively support “Create Response” out of the box—only “New Response” triggers.
Workaround: Use Zapier’s “Webhooks” action to hit the SurveyMonkey API directly.

3. Set Up the Webhook

In Zapier, add a “Webhooks by Zapier” action.
Choose “POST” and point it at the SurveyMonkey API endpoint for creating responses:
https://api.surveymonkey.com/v3/surveys/{survey_id}/responses
You’ll need your survey’s ID (find this in SurveyMonkey under survey details).
In the request body, map your survey’s questions to the answers you want to send.

Sample JSON body: json { "pages": [ { "id": "123456789", "questions": [ { "id": "111111111", "answers": [ {"choice_id": "222222222"} ] } ] } ] }

Replace IDs with those from your survey. SurveyMonkey’s API docs are a must here—don’t wing it.

4. Authenticate the Request

You’ll need a SurveyMonkey API token.
In Zapier, set the “Headers” to include:
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN
Content-Type: application/json

5. Test and Turn On

Run a test to make sure responses are coming through.
Check SurveyMonkey to confirm the responses appear as expected.
Tweak your mapping if needed.

Heads up: If you’re not comfortable with JSON and APIs, this step can feel intimidating. That’s just how SurveyMonkey’s API works—there’s no drag-and-drop magic here.

B. Automating with the SurveyMonkey API (For Coders)

If you’re okay with Python or JavaScript, you can script response creation directly.

1. Get Your API Token

2. Find Survey, Page, and Question IDs

Use the API (GET /v3/surveys) to list your surveys and get their IDs.
Drill down (GET /v3/surveys/{survey_id}/details) to get page and question IDs.

3. Write Your Script

Here’s a basic Python example using requests:

python import requests

API_TOKEN = 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' SURVEY_ID = 'YOUR_SURVEY_ID' headers = { 'Authorization': f'Bearer {API_TOKEN}', 'Content-Type': 'application/json', }

data = { "pages": [ { "id": "PAGE_ID", "questions": [ { "id": "QUESTION_ID", "answers": [ {"choice_id": "CHOICE_ID"} ] } ] } ] }

response = requests.post( f'https://api.surveymonkey.com/v3/surveys/{SURVEY_ID}/responses', headers=headers, json=data )

print(response.status_code, response.json())

Replace the placeholders with your real IDs.
Loop this script to create as many responses as you need.

4. Handle Errors and Rate Limits

SurveyMonkey’s API isn’t unlimited—check the docs for rate limits.
If you hit errors, check your JSON structure and IDs carefully.

What about using browser automation (Selenium, etc.)? - It’s possible, but SurveyMonkey’s UI changes can break your scripts. - You’ll hit CAPTCHAs and anti-bot measures quickly. - Only use this if you’re desperate and can fix things when they break.

Step 4: Map Your Questions and Answers

Every question has its own ID, and each answer (for multiple choice) has a “choice_id.”
Use the API’s “get survey details” endpoint to grab these.
Map your automation tool’s fields to the right IDs. Get this wrong, and your responses won’t show up.

Pro tip: Start with a single test response, then scale up when you know it’s working.

Step 5: Run, Monitor, and Debug

Check SurveyMonkey for your new responses.
If they’re missing or incomplete, double-check your mappings and required fields.
Look at error messages—SurveyMonkey’s API usually tells you what’s wrong, if you read closely.

Common gotchas: - Typos in IDs. - Forgetting required fields. - API token problems (expired, missing permissions). - Hitting account limits (number of responses, API calls).

Step 6: Make It Useful (or Not Annoying)

Automation is only helpful if it doesn’t make a mess. A few things to keep in mind:

Label your test responses (e.g., add a “test” value in a text field) so you can clean up later.
Don’t run infinite loops—SurveyMonkey can suspend your account for suspicious activity.
Turn off notifications if you don’t want an inbox full of “new response” alerts.

What to Ignore

There are lots of “automation” tools that claim to work with SurveyMonkey, but most just help you analyze results, not submit responses. If a tool doesn’t explicitly mention “create response” or “submit survey,” it’s not going to help here.

Likewise, Google Forms has more open automation options, but SurveyMonkey is more locked down. You can’t just import a CSV of responses, unfortunately.

Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate As Needed

Automating SurveyMonkey responses isn’t magic, but it’s not rocket science either. Use no-code tools for quick wins, the API for power, and skip browser automation unless you like pain.

Start small. Get one automated response working. Then scale up if you need to. Don’t overthink it—most of the headaches come from trying to get fancy too soon.

And remember: automation should solve a real pain, not just create new ones. Good luck.